2016-17 Schedule | Printable Schedule

MADISON, Wis. – Five top-10 finishers at the NCAA championships and an array of prestigious tournaments are on slate for Wisconsin wrestling in 2016-17, as the team released its schedule on Monday.

The Badgers will open their season in uncharted territory at the Journeymen Classic in New York on Nov. 12 before heading to face Duke for the first time ever in a regular season dual on Nov. 18.

UW will also participate in the Wolfpack Open for the first time on Nov. 20 in Raleigh, North Carolina, before returning to the Cliff Keen Open on Dec. 2-3 in Las Vegas, where senior Isaac Jordan claimed the 165-pound title last season.

"We're going to compete at a couple of new tournaments this season in the Journeymen Duals and Wolfpack Open," head coach Barry Davis said. "It's different this year with different teams, we usually go to the Navy Classic, but I think in those two events we will see teams that we don't usually see. We now have more of a variety and we can get more guys to compete in more competitions and get them a lot more experience.

"We have a lot of big home duals this season as well. Anytime you wrestle in the Big Ten you're going to get tough competition, either home or away, but you just have to take them as they come one at a time. We're going to take care of our business early starting at the beginning of our schedule and go from there."

The Badgers open up their conference season at Indiana on Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. before commencing a six-match home slate with the first home dual of the season against Northern Iowa on Dec. 11 at 7 p.m.

For the ninth-consecutive year, Wisconsin will participate in the Midlands Tournament on Dec. 29-30 in Evanston, Illinois.

UW hosts Big Ten rival Ohio State at the Field House on Jan. 6 at 7 p.m. before hitting the road to take on Nebraska on Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. and Minnesota on Jan. 15 at noon.

Wisconsin will welcome Cael Sanderson and his defending nation champion Penn State Nittany Lions to the UW Field House for the first time since 2012 on Jan. 27 at 7 p.m.

Following two away duals at Iowa (Feb. 3) and Purdue (Feb. 10), the Badgers will close their season with three back-to-back home duals against foes from Michigan. Wisconsin faces Michigan on Feb. 12 at noon, Michigan State on Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. and Central Michigan in UW's regular season finale on Feb. 19 at noon.
 
SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN:

Nov. 12 at Journeymen Classic (All Day)
Wisconsin begins the season at the Journeymen Classic in New York … the Badgers have never participated in the Journeymen Classic.

Nov. 18 at Duke (6 p.m.)
Wisconsin and Duke face off in a regular-season dual for the first time in the histories of the programs … the Blue Devils had one wrestler, Conner Hartmann, bring home All-America honors last season, as he finished in seventh place at 197 pounds … Duke finished in 31st place with 11 points overall at the NCAA championships and were the third-highest scoring team in the ACC.

Nov. 20 at Wolfpack Open (All Day)
UW has never participated in the Wolfpack Open, which is hosted by North Carolina State in Raleigh, North Carolina … last year, 22 teams took part in the Wolfpack Open where three members of the NC State team earned first-place finishes.

Dec. 2-3 at Cliff Keen Open (All Day)
The Badgers return to Las Vegas for the Cliff Keen Invitational … UW had plenty of luck in the City of Lights last year, as Isaac Jordan picked up his second-straight title of the year at 165 pounds … Ricky Robertson (174) finished in fifth place, while Ryan Christensen took eighth place at 184 pounds.

Dec. 9 at Indiana (7 p.m.)
Wisconsin travels to Indiana to take on the Hoosiers at University Gymnasium for the first time since the 2013-14 season, when UW defeated IU, 23-12 … the Badgers last saw Indiana on Dec. 11, 2014, at home where a historic night led to UW giving up no offensive points the entire night in a 45-0 blanking of the Hoosiers, marking Wisconsin's first DI shutout in 11 years … A then-sophomore, Isaac Jordan upset third-ranked Taylor Walsh with a 3-1 decision to highlight the exciting dual and help gave Wisconsin the 31-24 edge in the all-time series.

Dec. 11 vs. Northern Iowa (7 p.m.)
UW leads the all-time series 24-20-2 against Northern Iowa … the last meeting took place in 2013-14 when UNI won 29-9 in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Dec. 29-30 at Midlands (All Day)
Wisconsin will compete in the Midlands tournament in Evanston, Illinois, for the ninth-straight year … Connor Medbery, who will be returning after a redshirt Olympic year, placed third in his last Midlands showing in 2014-15 with a final win over Ty Walz of Virginia Tech, who placed fourth in the 2015-16 NCAA championships.

Jan. 6 vs. Ohio State (7 p.m.)
An age-old rivalry will pick back up in the UW Field House when the Buckeyes, who finished third at the 2016 NCAA Championships, come to Madison for the first time since 2013-14 … UW claimed a 22-15 victory in that last meeting in Madison … last season, the Badgers suffered a 34-6 defeat in Columbus to the 2014-15 national champions … Andrew Crone and Isaac Jordan both defeated their OSU opponents with 6-4 decisions at 149 pounds and 165 pounds, respectively … for Jordan, it was the first of three matchups with his cousin Bo Jordan, as Isaac came out victorious in the regular season dual, the Big Ten championship and the NCAA semifinal … Wisconsin holds a 29-20-1 edge in the all-time series with Ohio State. OSU returns NCAA champions Myles Martin (174) and Kyle Snyder (HWT).

Jan. 13 at Nebraska (7 p.m.)
UW leads the all-time series 10-7-2 over Nebraska … the series history is highlighted by the most recent meeting in Lincoln on Dec. 13, 2014, when an unranked Wisconsin team upset then-No. 8 Nebraska, 23-14 … Ricky Robertson shocked 17th-ranked TJ Dudley with a 9-4 decision … last season, Isaac Jordan, Ricky Robertson and Ryan Taylor each picked up victories against the Huskers in the regular season dual.

Jan. 15 at Minnesota (12 p.m.)
UW trails in the all-time series with Border Battle rival Minnesota, 36-61-1 … Wisconsin lost in a close call last season against Minnesota, as the No. 21 Gophers edged the Badgers, 17-16, in Madison. Wisconsin and Minnesota each won five matches, as the dual featured four lead changes and a tie … arguably Wisconsin's most impressive single-match performance of the 2015-16 season came in the first match of the dual at 149 pounds … Andrew Crone, facing off with No. 16 Jake Short, trailed, 2-1, after the first period and 5-1 after the second, but rebounded in the last two minutes to force sudden victory and ultimately win, 9-7.

Jan. 27 vs. Penn State (7 p.m.)
The defending national champions will visit Madison on Jan. 27 for the first time since 2012 … Penn State leads the all-time series, 13-8 … the Nittany Lions' squad will feature the 149-pound NCAA champion, Zain Retherford, and two NCAA runner-ups in Jason Nolf (157) and Bo Nickal (174).

Feb. 3 at Iowa (7 p.m.)
Wisconsin will revisit the 2016 Big Ten Championships site, Carver-Hawkeye Arena, to take on the Hawkeyes in the 88th meeting between the two teams … Iowa leads the all-time series, 76-8-3.

Feb. 10 at Purdue (7 p.m.)
Wisconsin holds a lopsided 44-13-2 advantage over Purdue in the all-time series … the Boilermakers and Badgers last faced in 2012-13 when Purdue claimed the 22-14 win in West Lafayette.

Feb. 12 vs. Michigan (12 p.m.)
Wisconsin trails Michigan, 23-27-1, in the overall series between the two teams … the Badgers defeated the Wolverines, 19-16, in their last faceoff at the UW Field House in the 2012-13 season.

Feb. 17 vs. Michigan State (7 p.m.)
UW leads the all-time series, 26-17-2, and has won six of the last seven duals against Michigan State … MSU has not competed in Madison since the 2012-13 season when the Badgers came out with the 19-12 victory … Wisconsin triumphed in the last two meetings in East Lansing, 30-7 and 34-6, respectively.

Feb. 19 vs. Central Michigan (12 p.m.)
Wisconsin and Central Michigan meet for the seventh time and look to break the all-time series, which is tied up at 3-3 … the Badgers were outdueled by the 19th-ranked Chippewas, 18-11, at McGuirk Arena in Mount Pleasant, Michigan last season.